Business Pulse

The newest park along Buffalo Bayou in Houston’s East End will open to the public on Feb. 10.

The 10-acre green space, dubbed the Buffalo Bend Nature Park, is located at a former abandoned industrial site off Sgt. Macario Garcia Drive near the Port of Houston's turning basin. The transformed park now includes hike and bike trails, a bayou overlook shelter and interpretive signs, as well as three wetland ponds.

Development of the park was funded by a $500,000 grant from the Texas Parks & Wildlife and matching funds raised by Buffalo Bayou Partnership and Harris County Precinct 2. SWA Group was the landscape architect on the project.

The property was acquired by a group of non-profit organizations, including Buffalo Bayou Partnership, in 2004. Once the deal was completed, the park was transferred to Harris County Precinct Two.

The Buffalo Bayou Partnership opened the Buffalo Bayou Park from Shepherd Drive to Sabine Street last October. The park features pavilions, a dog park, miles of trails and lush wildlife.

Shortly after the opening, Anne Olson, president of the Buffalo Bayou Partnership, told the Houston Business Journal that the organization was already eyeing more developments on the 50 acres it owns east of downtown. Olson said that at the time there were still $10 million worth of projects still under construction at the park. Click here to read HBJ's full interview with Olson.